Comparing alexithymia and emotional expressiveness in patients with coronary heart disease and healthy people

Background: Previous studies have reported the high rate of alexithymia in medical and psychological disorders along with the role of emotional expressiveness practices in terms of different aspects of health. The aim of this study was to compare the alexithymia and emotional expressiveness in patients with coronary heart disease and healthy people. Materials and Methods: In this ex post facto research the participants (n=35) with coronary heart disease (CHD) referred to Chamran and Sina Heart Center in Isfahan (2014) and healthy individuals (n=35) selected based on available sampling method were compared. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and Emotional Expressiveness Scale (EEQ) were used to evaluate the participants. Results: The results were indicated a difference in alexithymia and emotional expressiveness in patients with CHD compared to those of the healthy ones (P<0.05). Patients with CHD were significantly different from healthy individuals in terms of two out of three aspects of Alexithymia: difficulty in describing feelings and identifying feelings (P<0.05). The two groups were also significantly different from each other with respect to positive emotion expression and intimacy expression, considered to be two of three aspects of emotional expressiveness (P<0.05). Conclusion: Alexithymia and emotional expressiveness are important in better understanding of the psychopathology of patients with CHD. Therefore, it appears necessary to pay attention to this item as a factor influencing the treatment process of such patients.